Following the suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi and amid increased national media attention concerning homophobia and the issue of gay rights, the Brown University Community Council addressed the dangers of anti-gay sentiments on campus and the means through which the University could eliminate and react towards such currents of thought.
The council met Tuesday evening at Brown/RISD Hillel to discuss the increased visibility and availability of LGBTQ community resources and upcoming events, as well as ongoing University initiatives for Pakistan relief effort.
"This is one of those moments that a lot of things seem to be coming together in some pretty terrible ways," said Gail Cohee, director of the Sarah Doyle Women's Center, saying that gay rights and homophobia are issues that permeate all of society. "At Brown, we have to wonder how many students come here having already been harassed and bullied," she said, opening the floor for discussion of the available resources the University offers.
"We are pretty lucky at Brown — we have great support and resources," said Kelly Garrett, coordinator of the LGBTQ Resource Center. Garrett outlined various events that the center will be undertaking for National Coming Out Week, which started Monday. Such events include the Out for Lunch Program with keynote speaker Charles Glickman and a Oct. 20 event addressing bullying.
Garrett also spoke of the increased effort to create on-campus "safe zones," through which community members can increase tolerance and open discourse concerning gay issues, as well as make evident allies within the community.
"There are lots of resources here, but sometimes that isolated student may not know what those resources are," Garrett said. Just as "there are allies here, there are lots of allies, but students don't always know who they are," she said.
The center hopes to change this with a visibility campaign intended to make resources more readily accessible — not just for undergraduates, but for graduate and medical students, she said.
"There is a feeling that Brown is mostly pro-gay, but there are some anti-gay sentiments still around," said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services. The council expressed concern over numerous accounts of the expression of such sentiment on campus in recent months, including the vandalism of white boards and doors on the fourth floor of Keeney Quadrangle with homophobic slurs. The council also addressed the speed with which University administration takes action against these incidents and the individuals responsible for them.
"There is nothing more intimidating than a faceless threat," President Ruth Simmons said, who emphasized it is the responsibility of the University to act, particularly in instances where there are threats to student safety. "There is nothing more serious in an academic environment than having students be afraid," Simmons said.
The Council also heard an update on Pakistan relief efforts. Speaking on behalf of the Pakistan relief efforts group, Farrukh Malik '11 and Areebah Ajani '11 underlined future events the group hopes to hold. Following the success of the Sept. 24 Brown/RISD teach-in, which considered the sociopolitical implications of the flood on Pakistan, and a video campaign that raised approximately $2500 for the cause, the group is now turning toward creating an art installation to be displayed on the Main Green in mid-November, they said.
Additional events may include an open mic event, allowing "different community members to come out and perform their reactions to the flood," Malik said. The group may also attempt to bring in more guest speakers to increase and contribute to University discourse on Pakistan. "All efforts are aimed at promoting an understanding of what is going on in Pakistan," Ajani said.
